


Yumi's Flower Garden

by imaginarytowns



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: ASL, Artistic Liberties, Canon Compliant, Disabled Character, Fan Characters, Original Character(s), Other, Trans Player (Stardew Valley), but with more cussing and human-feeling interaction, grandpa has a name now, im putting all the tags to filter thru my bullshit honestly, its basically the story of stardew valley, mute main character, non-canon, non-canon dialogue, so lots of artistic liberties lmao, trans female player (stardew valley)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-13 19:33:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29283840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imaginarytowns/pseuds/imaginarytowns
Summary: Yumi Pononno has been gifted her grandfather's old farm, a perfect opportunity for her to escape the city and her dead-end office job to pursue a life she truly loves. She'll make some friends along the way, hopefully.
Relationships: Maru/Penny (Stardew Valley), Penny/Female Player (Stardew Valley), Sebastian/Female Player (Stardew Valley), Shane/Female Player (Stardew Valley)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> this is pure self indulgence i will most likely delete this the first chance i get

It was a very cold evening. The twentieth day of winter, 2004. Her mother and father stood by the rickety bed opposite her as the fire crackled away in the stove.

Occupying the bed, however, was her dear grandfather Eijiro. Rasping for breath in his old age, but still talking and smiling quite easily. He seemed almost sleepy - lazy and comfortable in his actions while she drew her jacket tighter around her. The fire in the stove wasn’t enough for city folk such as them. Her father, however, seemed to have his father’s resistance to the cold.

Slowly, his hand mangled from arthritis rose from under the covers with a letter in tow, sealed with purple wax and a stamp.

“...And for my very special granddaughter...”

She smiled when he called her that. He was the first in the family to accept her new name and titles and it made her proud.

“Yumi, I want _you_ to have this sealed envelope.”

He raised his hand slightly, shifting the focus to the letter, and Yumi hesitated as she plucked it from his hands.

She held it in front of her, shifting her fingers to crack the seal open, the paper crinkling in her hands.

“No, no,” her tired grandfather insisted, which made her stop.

“Don’t open it yet… have patience.”

She obediently laid the envelope in her lap instead. She moved her hand, balled in a fist with her thumb sticking out, in a clockwise circle on her chest.

_Sorry,_ it meant.

“Now, listen close…”

He hadn't seen her apologizing. She forgot sometimes that grandpa Eijiro was blind as a bat in his old age. She rarely got to speak to him alone since she usually needed a translator. His hearing was still perceptive as ever, though. Her ears perked up still at his request.

“There will come a day when you feel crushed by the burden of modern life… and your bright spirit will fade before a growing emptiness. When that happens, you’ll be ready for this gift.”

_What was that supposed to mean? How would I know? Grandpa--_

“Now, let grandpa rest…”

Her signing fell on blind eyes as her grandfather sighed a deep and final time, his eyes unfocusing and his mangled hands resting completely still. That was the last time she had been to his farm and his town. Fourteen years ago.

The twentieth day of winter, 2018.

The public consciousness of the Joja corporation was certainly ever-present at this point. Most buildings in the city were owned by Joja. Most companies by then were owned by Joja. JojaMarts populated nearly every every district. Joja Cola was a cultural staple now. If you worked in the city, you most likely by extension worked for JojaCorp.

That was true of Yumi as well, sadly enough.

She had applied to be a sign language interpreter for JojaCorp officials. They already had an interpreter now, they said, but they were willing to hire another public relations worker, if she was interested.

She said to hell with it and took the job. After all, it was better pay and she would be able to buy her own house one day with that kind of money.

What they failed to entail in the job description was that it was _grueling._ Hours upon hours spent in a windowless metal chamber, fluorescent lights buzzing, keyboards clacking, screen blaring, documents unwritten, glass panels for guards of some sort to watch as you worked, a red light and a green one that would indicate how you should be spending your time depending on which one lit up.

“WORK,” said the green one. “REST,” said the red one. 

JojaCorp’s logo and catchphrase loomed in colorful paint above the hellish blinking lights, “Joja: Join us. Thrive.” What seemed a quirky catchphrase at first now seemed dystopian.

Her eyelids felt heavy, her body felt like she’d been hit by a truck. She had fallen asleep at work again, upright in her office chair. She worked from 9:00 to 5:00, so sleep had become a luxury she could rarely afford. However, her body would often catch up with her and make her pass out, usually at the computer to silence her headaches that she got from the fluorescent lights.

She felt lifeless. Stupid, almost, for being kept in these golden handcuffs. The ingredients for her cakes were left untouched at home, her tulips that she grew on the windowsill of her family's shared apartment had wilted that morning. 

Her green thumb had been crushed by her mind-numbing job. Her baking no longer had a purpose. She no longer had purpose. She was another employee stuck in a cubicle, replaceable at any point. 

She blinked herself awake, trying to keep back tears. Her eyes still stung from how hard she had cried that morning upon finding her tulips dead. She couldn't afford another mental breakdown. Rubbing her temples, she glanced at the uppermost drawer of her desk.

She kept that letter from her grandfather with her at all times, just in case. She wasn't sure when she would ever experience what he was talking about on his deathbed, so she wanted it near no matter what. She wouldn't know unless it hit her, after all.

_"You will feel crushed by the burden of modern life,"_ he had said with conviction.

She carefully opened the grey drawer to see the letter there, sitting on top of a stack of manila folders. The purple seal shone against the beige, white, and grey backdrop of the office.

She held it in front of her, shifting her fingers to crack the seal open, the paper crinkling in her hands.

The letter was open. 

It felt almost wrong to do. What if she had made a mistake and opened it too soon?

As she pulled the letter out of the envelope delicately, inch by inch, she knew somehow that it wasn’t wrong. The time was right.

She unfolded the letter, glancing shifty-eyed at the guards in their glass compartments before reading its contents.

_Dear Yumi,_

_If you’re reading this, you must be in dire need of a change._

_The same thing happened to me long ago. I’d lost sight of what mattered most in life… real connections to people and nature. So I dropped everything and moved to the place I truly belong._

_I’ve enclosed the deed to that place… my pride and joy: Pononno Farm. It’s located in Pelican Town, on the south coast. It’s the perfect place to start your new life._

_This was my most precious gift of all, and now it’s yours. I know you’ll bring honor to the family name, my girl. Good luck._

_Love,_

_Grandpa Eijiro_

_お爺さん 鋭児郎_

_P.S. If Lewis is still alive, say hi to the old guy for me, will you?_

She supposed she’d know who Lewis was once she arrived in Pelican Town.


	2. Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yumi's new cabin is a bit of a fixer-upper.

Her bags were packed, her spirits were high, and she felt like a million dollars now that she had caught up on sleep and the awful office was far behind her. Her suitcase rested in her lap, the bus seat surprisingly comfortable.

Once the bus had left the city, the wilderness of the valley in which Pelican Town was seated creeped up the sides of the freeway. Pine trees sparsely lined the road, bushes filled with ripe salmonberries housing rabbits and quails that would run fast as they could from the bus coming down the road.

The green sign up ahead read, _“Pelican Town - .5 mi.”_ and she could make out a bus stop in the distance, tantalizing her further. She practically bounced in her seat from excitement.

The bus had arrived, the door opening with a hiss. She jumped, a suitcase in one hand and the file with the deed to the place in the other, a purse slung around her body.

As she made her way down the steps, she saw a woman with a thick head of red hair waiting for her. Her cheeks were rosy. Her nose was small. Her lips were thin and defined, her eyes a brilliant green. She looked older than her, perhaps in her late thirties. She beamed at Yumi as she stepped off the bus, suitcase in tow. Yumi beamed back.

“Hello!” Her lips stretched as she smiled fully now, her teeth brilliantly white.

“You must be Yumi!” she exclaimed, extending her hand for a hearty handshake. Yumi had to drop her suitcase in order to do so.

“I’m Robin! I’m the local carpenter,” she crossed her arms now, “Mayor Lewis sent me here to fetch you and show you the way to your new place! He’s there right now.”

She smirked now, gesturing to the dirt path behind them. 

“The farm’s right over here, if you’ll follow me.”

This woman seemed to be built with a smile that stayed plastered on her face at all times. Never did it seem unnatural either, which soothed Yumi somewhat.

She grabbed her suitcase yet again and followed her, noticing the bus was letting out a lot more smoke from the exhaust pipe than she thought was natural.

Passing by oak trees that grew thicker the farther down the path she went, she watched as squirrels looked around swiftly from their branches. Diverting her attention back to the path and to Robin, she followed until Robin came to an abrupt stop in the thickest part of the woods she had seen yet.

Yumi stopped and looked around, cocking her head at Robin in confusion.

“This is Pononno farm.”

Yumi’s eyes went wide as saucers as she dropped the file.

“What’s the matter?” Robin asked, concern in her voice, “Sure, it’s a bit overgrown, but there’s some good soil underneath those trees! With a little dedication you’ll have it cleaned up in no time.”

Yumi took note of her scrawny arms and just how much _dedication_ might be required of her.

Robin started moving again past a few dense-looking pine trees and Yumi followed behind still, scrambling to pick up the file and craning her neck around the corner to see the house she had last been in fourteen years ago. The porch had holes, the walls of the house were old and beaten down by weather, and the woodshed built into the side filled with kindling for a fireplace cemented just how far from normalcy she was.

“Here we are! Your new home.” Robin said everything cheerful as can be.

As Yumi took in her surroundings, she saw the door creak open carefully. A short man with hairs grey as can be and a proudly groomed handlebar moustache came out, donning a brown cap that suited him quite well.

“Ah, the new farmer!” he exclaimed. With this exclamation he approached and stood closer to her, seemingly checking her appearance to match what he had preconceived.

“Welcome! I’m Lewis. I’m the Mayor of Pelican town.”

Finally, the infamous Lewis from her grandfather’s letter. She smiled at him and dropped her suitcase yet again to say something, her fingers outstretched to put her thumb on her forehead and bring it forth in two circles,

_ <Grandpa told me to say hi!>_

Lewis, much to her dismay, gave her a puzzled look.

She felt her heart sink low in her stomach. Would she have to carry her notebook everywhere? Did no one sign in this town? That was the last thing she needed after coming so far.

“Did you just sign?” Robin asked, and Yumi turned to see Robin craning her neck to look at her.

“Oh!” Robin exclaimed, then proceeded to sign a sentence letter by letter.

“Did… You… Hear… Anything…? I am so sorry!” she slowed her speech down to keep up with her signage. Definitely a beginner, but it was better than nothing!

_ <No. I am mute, not deaf. I can hear you. Thank you!>_

Robin nodded understandingly, relaying the message to Lewis, who remarked how surprised he was that she was mute. Communication was definitely going to be a struggle and take longer since she had to spell everything on top of everything else, she noted.

“You should talk to my son! He reads signs much better than I do, I just know the ABCs and some basic phrases.”

She noted this as well, feeling excited that such a rural community would have as many people who knew ASL as it seemed to. But she looked up at the sky lit up warmly with the late noon sun somewhat shiftily.

“Oh, not right now, honey, I’m sure you must be so tired from the bus ride. Come visit us when you’re feeling up to it, though!”

Robin was so kind and laidback, she felt almost strange introducing herself to their tight-knit community if everyone here was like her. It wasn’t like Zuzu City where the people were always rushed and annoyed.

“Matter of fact,” Lewis interjected, “Everyone’s been asking about you. It’s not every day that someone moves in. It’s quite a big deal!”

Yumi blinked owlishly at him, wondering how many people lived in this town that he had heard from everyone.

He turned towards the little shack that was now her home, and regarded it with a reverence similar to hers, most likely for the same reason. Even if it was hers in paper, the farm was her grandfather’s in spirit.

“So… you’re moving into your grandfather's old cottage.” He stated a fact, chewing on the reality of it. He stared ahead, a solemn expression on his face accentuated the wrinkles that had set in over time.

“It’s a good house. Very rustic.” he remarked, turning his gaze back to Yumi and smiling.

“Rustic? That’s one way to put it… ‘crusty’ might be a little more apt, though.” Robin giggled, which made Lewis jump and gasp at her rudeness. Yumi smiled, a small gurgling breath showing her amusement. So Robin wasn’t as polite as she seemed. Good. She was starting to get uncomfortable with all the niceties anyway.

“Don’t listen to her, Yumi. She’s just trying to make you dissatisfied so that you buy one of her house upgrades.” Lewis bit back, which visibly made Robin pale.

The playful friendship that clearly resided here was certainly enough to make Yumi smile and feel welcome.

“Anyway… I’m sure you’re tired. Get some rest, Yumi. Tomorrow you ought to explore the town a bit and introduce yourself to everyone. They’ll appreciate that.”

And with that, Lewis began to walk off towards the path from whence they came, faltering for a moment and turning around as if he had forgotten something.

“Oh, and if you have anything to sell, be sure to put it in the bin. I’ll come by during the night to collect it.”

She smiled forcefully when she realized she hadn’t noticed a bin when she came here, most likely hidden underneath the overgrowth. She was not looking forward to unearthing that.

He hastily wished her good luck and went on his way, Robin following him and happily waving goodbye. That left her alone with the old house, staring ahead at her new life.

Entering the house, Yumi observed her surroundings. A package awaited her on the table, sitting beside a decorative bowl. The house was one room; a fireplace, bare walls save for a single framed polaroid of a tree that was hung above the mantle of the fireplace. a bed, and a table just as she remembered it. Her grandfather was a simple man. He didn’t even have electric lights in the house, finding the tiny room would be lit up and warmed to his liking just from the fireplace. Setting her suitcase in the corner and draping her purse over a post of the bed frame, she looked around.

To her surprise, there was a television set in the corner that she didn’t remember. She supposed her grandfather had to get his weather report from somewhere other than local newspapers and his knees. It was an old set, by far the most interesting thing in the room. Big and clunky, it had a built-in VCR, the remote resting on the stand that it sat upon. The logo on the VCR read _JOJA._ She figured it was probably an old, old prototype, back when Joja was not quite yet the corporate octopus it seemed to have become, but well on its way anyhow. She picked up the remote and turned it on, the TV blaring different stations as she flipped through to find one that was interesting.

**“Tensions rise between workers at JojaCorp warehouses and--”** _clik._

**“A perfect melange of--”** _clik._

**“Get 20% off on all orders from--”** _clik._

Until, finally, there was a station she wanted.

**“Good morning; welcome to KOZU 5, your number one source for news, weather, and entertainment. And now, the weather forecast for tomorrow… looks like Spring showers are ahead! Expect light misting around 8:00 in the morning followed by torrential downpour during noon hours and nighttime. The downpour won’t be letting up anytime soon, expected to last through all of this week. Rural communities in Stardew Valley are expected to brace for flooding. The rainfall total so far, though--”**

With a final _clik,_ the TV turned off and she sat on the bed to look out her window at the setting sun. Taking her shoes off and slowly peeling her shirt off so that her underwear and undershirt were all that remained, she folded them neatly and placed them at the foot of her bed, her shoes left beside her bed as she began to nestle into the creaky twin-sized mattress. Picking up the remote once more and flicking through channels, she landed on the oracle channel she knew well already and listened to the Wellwick Oracle's predictions until the glow of the TV was all that illuminated the room, her eyes growing heavy and eager for her first day in the community.


End file.
